Obama speaks with European leaders on EU crisis, Syria

President Barack Obama discussed developments in Europe as well as in Syria on Wednesday in a video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, the White House said. "(The) leaders agreed to continue to consult closely as they prepare to meet at the G-20 Summit in Mexico next month," the White House said in a statement, which did not specify what conclusions were reached about Europe's economic crisis. "(The) leaders also discussed recent developments in Syria and their shared perspectives on the importance of ending the violence of the government against its own people and the urgency of achieving a political transition," it said.